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...who doesn't suck.
This is sort of an idea to see how well a defense-focused monk can survive if he happens to be really low on Con. More of a concept/theory than a real build, but depending on how soon it can come online I might make it a character at some point after GM crediting.
I'm thinking going with
Human Sensei Martial Artist
Stats:
Str14
Dex16
Con7
Int13
Wis18
Cha7
Feats:
1:Tribal Scarring [Bear Belt]
1:Toughness
1M:Dodge
1M:Improved Unarmed Strike
1M:Stunning Fist
3:Snake Style
Using a Temple Sword in 2 hands, and using Unarmed Strikes to Stunning Fist on occasion.
Thoughts?
One confirmed critical, and your career is over.
OR you could be a zen archer monk. 7 con doesnt hurt nearly as bad if you engage everything form 100+ feet away.
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I once GMed a Living Greyhawk game where an orc killed a PC in a single hit, in the first real combat. I felt really bad about that until I realized that the PC was an elf wizard with a 6 CON. Who rushed to be the first over the barricade into the waiting orcs that everyone knew were there.
Then I realized that the PC had to die, then and there, for the sake of education.
I think the point is, having few HP means you must receive as few hits as possible. Although part of that can be mitigated by having a ridiculously stratospheric AC, it still won't stop AOE attacks, and merely "considerably stratospheric" AC isn't enough.
The better way to receive as few hits as possible is to not be worth attacking. Now, arguments can be made for that if you play a buffer role, and do not otherwise interfere with the battle. But you're a monk. Even as a sensei, buffing is not your forte (and you end up losing Evasion, so it's not a decent trade).
If you've got a decent way to stay away from the front lines and you're not causing direct damage, you can get away with a low Con. But such a character is not a monk.
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...who doesn't suck...
Thoughts?
Who doesn't suck is fairly subjective...but the first damaging spell you're hit with that you can't evade (magic missile, ice storm, or any Fort/Will-based damaging spell) is probably going to drop you. So most people think being able to take at least one or two hits keeps you out of the 'suck' category.
If you're still focused on trying this, though, look at the trait 'Never Stop Shooting'. It requires a couple of feats, but it'll let you base your death off of your Wisdom, rather than your Con. At least that way, you'll have a little bit more of a buffer before death.
Good luck!
Umm, first off. Don't do this; he'll die. Okay, got that out of the way.
I'd suggest half-Orc with the racial feat to turn your racial ferocity into true ferocity. You will be going into negative hitpoints entirely too often. Might as well stay upright until you actually do croak.
Toughness will be a key feat to take, but I think I'd rather have ferocity on a player like this. Give him time to retreat back to the party healer.
Good Luck!
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Even if you have an AC of 150, a natural 20 still hits. Spells that do HP damage without an attack roll will still damage you. Evasion will protect you from most direct damage spells, but there is no save for some of them and others target Fortitude. Poisons and disease will be deadly.
You will die. It's just a question of how long you can last before a lucky hit lands or you get targeted by a magic missile.
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So after looking at your hp per level, your feat selection makes the build not terrible but it is still far from decent. Lets compare your hp outlay vs a monk with 12 Con and a Wizard with 12 Con (assuming they do NOT take Tribal Scares or Toughness).
Level : Your Build : Monk, 12 Con : Wizard, 12 Con
1 : 15 : 9 : 7
2 : 18 : 15 : 12
3 : 21 : 21 : 17
4 : 25 : 27 : 22
5 : 29 : 33 : 27
6 : 33 : 39 : 32
7 : 37 : 45 : 37
8 : 41 : 54 : 42
9 : 45 : 57 : 47
10 : 49 : 63 : 52
11 : 53 : 69 : 57
12 : 57 : 75 : 62
Some things of note, you spend 2 of your feats and a Monk with 12 Con will have equal hp to you at 3rd level and a Wizard will have equal hp to you at 7th level but you are pretty close to each other level 5 and on. Now consider you are a front line fighter, as a couple of other people mentioned, a critical or a couple of hits in a row from even a mediocre damage dealer and you are most likely dead.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Of course you can make this character. The question is: should you?
The answer lies in the simple question: will it be fun for you and not detract from the fun of others at your table? This is the only question you need to answer. If yes, go for it! If no, probably best not to.
I see a LOT of super-munchkin characters at my tables. If that's how you have fun, good for you. But I enjoy a different style. My personal favorite PFS character is a demented monk/witch who is decidedly not as effective in combat as he could be, but he's fun for me to play. And that's what matters.
Funny thing about Zen Archer Monks. Occasionally the opposition has it's OWN set of archers. Guess who they tend to target first? One of my friends runs a PFS zen archer who typically face plants at least once per module because of this.
To springboard off this, funny thing about PFS in general...
Being able to engage the enemy at 100+ feet doesn't matter much when the vast majority of combats happen at range 30 feet or closer. PFS tends to be like that.
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You should just be a Elven Wizard with a 5 Con, that way you will have a whole 14hp by the time you retire at 12th level!I had a character like this in pfs, and he made it to level 3!
What killed him? Maybe some monster, or an archer firing at him?
Nope. A block of wood fell on his head, dealing 2d6 damage and killing him instantly (favored class into skill points ftw).
RIP old man jenkins, you will always be missed
LOL. Man, what a way to go.
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Well, these are some interesting results. I come here asking for advice on making an interestingly suboptimal build, and I get responses of "Its hard to take this seriously", and "This doesn't work, try something else", and "Be a Zen Archer". This isn't about being an optimal monk "as I know plenty about Optimal monks. I've played a bunch of them", its about taking something clearly terrible for an adventurer and making the adventurer be able to overcome it.
I think some people here might be exaggerating a bit. I played an 8Con Tengu Monk in PFS up to about level 5, and he was entirely focused on offense. I dropped below zero about thirty times in the first 2 levels alone, but still he survived for a while. Funny thing about it was that a failed will save was what killed him in the end. Natural ones kinda suck. I know that 7Con is probably too ambitious, but I am trying it, just to see what would happen. Maybe a 10 instead, since that at least sorta fits the concept I came up with for this guy.
For dying at neg 7HP, I was thinking taking Heart of the Wilderness as a human. Helps with some survivability.
Still, since it seems people can't take a 7Con monk seriously, I'll take another go at 10
Human Martial Artist Sensei
Stats:
Str14
Dex16
Con10
Int9
Wis18
Cha7
Feats:
1:Tribal Scarring[Bear Pelt]
1:Toughness
3:Snake Style
Flavoring this guy as being a tough old goat with a terrible disease who hopes to find a cure to it.
Thoughts?
Well, these are some interesting results. I come here asking for advice on making an interestingly suboptimal build, and I get responses of "Its hard to take this seriously", and "This doesn't work, try something else", and "Be a Zen Archer". This isn't about being an optimal monk "as I know plenty about Optimal monks. I've played a bunch of them", its about taking something clearly terrible for an adventurer and making the adventurer be able to overcome it.
I think some people here might be exaggerating a bit. I played an 8Con Tengu Monk in PFS up to about level 5, and he was entirely focused on offense. I dropped below zero about thirty times in the first 2 levels alone, but still he survived for a while. Funny thing about it was that a failed will save was what killed him in the end. Natural ones kinda suck. I know that 7Con is probably too ambitious, but I am trying it, just to see what would happen. Maybe a 10 instead, since that at least sorta fits the concept I came up with for this guy.
For dying at neg 7HP, I was thinking taking Heart of the Wilderness as a human. Helps with some survivability.
Still, since it seems people can't take a 7Con monk seriously, I'll take another go at 10
Human Martial Artist Sensei
Stats:
Str14
Dex16
Con10
Int9
Wis18
Cha7Feats:
1:Tribal Scarring[Bear Pelt]
1:Toughness
3:Snake StyleFlavoring this guy as being a tough old goat with a terrible disease who hopes to find a cure to it.
Thoughts?
It is not that it is sub-optimal. It is that it is just about unplayable. Being sub-optimal would be like playing an abjuration wizard and taking lots of protection spells. A completely trash build would be like wanting to run a barbarian with 8 con and str and having high CHA. You may as well have come here saying "I want to build a wizard but I want him to have an Int of 8 and not make him suck. How do?"